


Another Fairy's Tale

by puss_nd_boots



Category: SCREW (Band), the GazettE
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Anal Sex, Frottage, M/M, Piercings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2013-12-08
Packaged: 2018-01-03 23:53:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1074534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puss_nd_boots/pseuds/puss_nd_boots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Manabu is a fairy who decides to come to the human world to emulate his idol, Prince Kai of the Seelie Kingdom (aka Kai of the GazettE). He hooks up with SCREW and begins his journey to achieve his musical dreams – until he encounters the one thing he didn’t expect to find in the human world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another Fairy's Tale

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to A Fairy’s Tale, which was about Kai’s adventures in the human world. While it’s not absolutely necessary to have read the first fic to read this one, you’ll probably get more out of this if you have.

_Once upon a time, there was a place called the Seelie Kingdom that was the home of the fairies. These gentle creatures had peacefully coexisted with humans since the beginning of time, maintaining the balance of nature with magic, usually unseen by those they shared the planet with. If a fairy was of the bloodline of King Oberon and was found especially worthy, he or she could become a prince or princess and be given wings. But sometimes, fairies grew bored of their long, magically-enhanced lifestyles, and went to live as humans for a period of time, gladly giving up use of magic – except when they were away from prying human eyes – to experience the other side. You may have heard the story of one such fairy, Kai, who came to the human world to learn about leadership. But he was not the only one to make such a trip, and to land in the Japanese music industry. And it is here that our story begins . . ._

Most young fairies who left the Seelie Kingdom to come to earth did so because they’d been given a specific mission by King Oberon, or they were bored and wanted a change for a few decades, or they had friends who were doing it.

Manabu did it because of hearing about another fairy.

From the time he was small, he’d been fascinated with human music and culture. He started to play guitar and practiced transforming into a human shape again and again. He spent a lot more time practicing his music than practicing spells – much to the chagrin of his mother.

“You’re of the bloodline of King Oberon,” she said. “You have talent. You have potential to become a prince. Don’t you want to have wings someday?”

Well, of course he did – it was the goal of every fairy to be one of the elite few to have wings and a title. But he also wanted to master his instrument someday, too.

And so, day after day, he’d work on his spells until his mother was satisfied – and then he’d take his guitar and escape, going into the fields at the edge of the fairy villages, sitting down to play, and play, and play. He didn’t dare use magic to make any of the playing easier, either. That would be cheating. These instruments were made by humans, and he was going to use them the way the humans would.

On one such day, an older man was crossing the field in front of him. He paused to hear the music for a moment, cocking his head to the side. Well, that was encouraging to the novice musician, at least. If he could attract the attention of an older man – someone who normally didn’t like this kind of music – then he must be doing something right.

There was something rather strange about this man, though. Manabu didn’t remember ever seeing him around before – even though his face bore the same clan markings Manabu’s did.

“What is it with you people and this kinda music?” the man said. “Prince Kai was the same way.”

Manabu’s head suddenly snapped up. Another fairy who was a musician? And not just any fairy – a prince? “Prince Kai?”

“Oh, c’mon, you know who I mean,” the old man said. “Came back here ‘bout a year ago for his coronation, then went back to the human world. He’s a real successful musician there, they say. Leads some group that played at Budokan.”

“Really?” Manabu leapt to his feet, his heart pounding. It was as if this old man was bringing him a high holy truth, information that would finally bring some direction into what seemed, right now, to be a meaningless life. “Tell me more!”

The man shrugged. “He went to the human world, lived there a few years and turned into a prince. Then he turned down an opportunity to live here and went back to the humans. Don’t know why he likes it there so much, but . . .”

“Where does he live?” Manabu said. “Do you know the name of his group?”

“Dunno,” the old man said. “Gazelle, or something like that. Gaz- something. And he lives in Tokyo.”

“Thank you!” Manabu ran toward home, the guitar floating behind him on a stream of teleportation magic.

“Hey!” the old man shouted. “You can’t just barge in on a prince! He’s a prince, after all!”

Manabu ignored him and just kept running. He’d run all the way to Tokyo if he had to. Finally, his life had a compass. There was another fairy who’d done it – lived in the human world and become a musican. He didn’t even care as much about the “Prince” part as the “Budokan” part.

He was going to find out all he could about this Kai, and how he made it. And then, he was going to do the same.

* * *

Information on the prince wasn’t hard to come by. Fairies could use magic to tap into the human Internet. Through that, Manabu found out that the name of the band Kai belonged to was GazettE, not Gazelle. They had, indeed, played Budokan, and were still gaining in popularity.

Furthermore, this Kai had joined an already existing group when their drummer left and taken over as their leader. He looked like an ordinary human in photos – albeit a very attractive one, with both a sweet, innocent smile and eyes that could burn like coal.

And there was something about him that definitely telegraphed that he was a prince. It was in his whole bearing. He seemed, well, sure of himself. Happy and comfortable with every aspect of his life. Completely in control.

In short, every single thing that Manabu wanted to be.

He found himself spending more and more time researching the prince – finding and studying all of GazettE’s music tracks and videos. And the more he found out, the more he wanted to go follow the other fairy’s path.

Through asking around, he found a group of other young fairies who were living together somewhere in the Tokyo area. They had a roommate returning to the Seelie Kingdom, so he took the spot.

He was going to the human world. He was going to live as one of them, and be a success in music, like Kai was.

Hell, he could even end up a prince like the other fairy – right?

* * *

It didn’t go smoothly at first. Two bands came and went before Manabu was asked to be the support guitarist for a four-man band called SCREW. Right away, he knew this was a group he felt comfortable with. They were on his wavelength musically, they were genuinely nice guys, and, well . . .

They were prone to bouts of random craziness. Quite often, in fact. For example, a recording session would be interrupted by chair races up and down the hall, or a visit to a coffeeshop would result in a swordfight utilizing drinking straws. And it was this that, ultimately, Manabu found most endearing about them. Even though he was normally shy and reserved – except when he was playing – he gladly joined in with the pranks.

It seemed almost inevitable, then, that they would ask him to be their permanent second guitarist, and he eagerly accepted.

It was, of course, far from the superstar scenario than he envisioned. the members all lived at home, or in group living situations – two of his bandmates, Kazuki and Byou, shared an apartment.

“Does that mean you’re, um, well . . .” Manabu asked Kazuki one night after practice, when the two guitarists were putting away their instruments. They were in one of those tiny, dingy places in a not-so-great part of town that were typical for indie bands trying to get a foothold in the business.

At least this one had minimal holes in the walls, unlike the last place they used. They would play rock-paper-scissors to determine whose night it was to stop up the drafts with his coat.

“Um, well, what?” Kazuki said, looking rather amused. There was something, well, a bit different about Manabu. He’d noticed it from the first day he’d played with the band. He could be just as silly as the rest of them, but he had sort of, well, a pure quality you just didn’t see in visual kei that often.

“You know,” Manabu said, looking down at his instrument and seeming very interested in fitting it into the case perfectly.

“Oh, that?” Kazuki said. His smile grew wider. “You bet we are. Every night. Sometimes in the morning, too.”

“Ah.” And he looked twice as interested in his guitar. Fairies were very liberal about love and sex – they were all, by their very nature, bisexual and polyamorous – but that didn’t stop him from blushing when the topic came up. Especially when it came up from Kazuki teasing him.

“You WERE asking about us brushing our teeth at the same time, weren’t you?” Kazuki said, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“Kazuki!” Now he was blushing twice as fast, twice as hard and twice as red.

“Why are you so interested in the idea of us being together, anyway?” Kazuki said. “Would you like to watch?”

“No!” Manabu said. “I mean, not that I wouldn’t want to . . . I mean . . .”

“You’re really cute, you know that?” Kazuki wrapped an arm around him. “I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone quite like you.”

You probably haven’t, Manabu thought. He knew of quite a few fairies living in this sector of the human world, but he didn’t know of many who were in visual kei. Other than, of course, his idol, Prince Kai.

“I, well . . . I just am what I am.” Brilliant answer.

“Yeah, well, I don’t want you to change that,” Kazuki said. “We need more people like you in this industry.”

And why did him saying that make Manabu blush a little – again?

* * *

Not too long after that, a rather important-looking man arrived backstage at one of their lives – or, rather, after their set in a small and cramped live house, shared with several other bands.

“My company is very interested in you,” he told them. “We’re expanding our indies division, signing up new acts – and we think you’d be perfect.”

The members of SCREW looked at each other. “We?” Byou said. “Who is ‘we?’”

“Oh, I’m sorry for not fully introducing myself,” the man said. “I’m with Peace and Smile Company – PSC. We represent a number of name acts – Miyavi, Kagrra, the GazettE . .”

Manabu’s eyes opened wide at that. “GazettE?” he said. “THE GazettE?” Kai’s band. This man was with Kai’s management company.

“Yes,” the man said. “We’re very proud of them, too. They started out an indies band just like you, and now? They’ve played Budokan. They may even end up at Tokyo Dome someday.”

Manabu’s eyes widened even more. They were going to pop out and roll across the floor. Which wouldn’t be a good thing, He’d have to use magic to retrieve them, and that would be a hell of a way of telling his secret to his bandmates.

The other members of the band were kind of looking at each other – clearly, they didn’t trust this guy. “Maybe we should think it over,” said Yuuto – their leader. “We need to talk among ourselves, and . . .”

“I think we should go with him,” Manabu said.

And that brought about a great chorus of shocked expressions from his bandmates. “Why do you say that?” said Kazuki.

“If they manage GazettE . . .” They had to go with these people. They just had to. It would bring them closer to their goal of becoming a major band. And besides, it would put Manabu in close proximity to Kai, and . . .

“We don’t know for sure this guy is who he says he is,” Byou said.

But Manabu knew. Fairies had the ability to look at a human and see if they were sincere – and this man was. He was trustworthy, he had the best of intentions – and he really did manage GazettE.

Telling the others this, however . . .

“Trust him,” he said. “Just talk to him, Yuuto. Please.”

“Hey,” Kazuki said. “Manabu, maybe Yuuto’s right. We need to talk among ourselves first, and . . .”

Manabu just gently pushed him away. “Talk to him,” he begged Yuuto. “Find out what he has to say. Just find out. Then we’ll talk among ourselves.”

There was a long pause, during which Yuuto stared at him in half-disbelief – that Manabu was being so bold and forward, and that he’d be so, well, passionate about this. Finally, he waved his hand and said, “Fine, fine. I’ll talk to him.”

“You won’t regret it,” Manabu said – and then caught himself. “I mean – I’m confident it will work out.”

By the end of the evening, they had a handshake deal with PSC, which was a full contract by the end of the week. And Manabu had to wonder if it were the same for Kai when GazettE signed with the company.

* * *

He had hoped that when they were in the same company as his idol, he’d be able to meet Kai quickly and easily.

It didn’t happen that way, though. Once they were officially installed with PSC, their life became a whirlwind – tours, recording, meetings, promos, repeat, repeat, repeat. They even found themselves playing a couple of lives in Germany. They didn’t even have time to breathe, let alone socialize with other bands.

“It’ll be different once we’re major, right?” Kazuki said to Manabu as they were in the van going to yet another live in yet another remote corner of Japan. “We’ve got to get some downtime – eventually.”

“I don’t even think major bands have downtime,” Manabu said, looking up from the trade he was reading. Yes, it was yet another article about GazettE. He followed Kai’s career as closely as possible.

“You’re really interested in these guys, aren’t you?” Kazuki said, looking over his shoulder.

“I just, well . . .” Manabu half-closed the magazine. “I want us to be like them, that’s all.”

“Play Budokan, you mean?” Kazuki said. “Who doesn’t want to do that?” Then, leaning closer to Manabu, he said, “Sure the reason you like them so much isn’t that you find one of them hot?”

“No!” Manabu said, quickly – too quickly. Because, on top of the fact that he was a Fairy Who Made It In The Human Music Industry And Became A Prince To Boot, there was no denying that Kai was very, very, very attractive.

“Come on, you don’t have to be shy about that. I’d get it on with a couple of those guys anytime.” Kazuki pointed to Aoi, one of the guitarists. “Especially him.”

Manabu didn’t reply on that one – he just turned a brighter red. And was that a slight pang of envy toward Aoi that he felt? 

* * *

Throughout it all, Manabu was very good at keeping his secret. He did no magic in front of his bandmates, since that would mean transforming back into fairy form (though he was severely tempted to during equipment malfunctions). He didn’t really talk about his background all that much. When he did, he talked about a normal Japanese upbringing in Osaka – the cover story he’d made up when he decided to live as a human.

But one time, when they were on the road, he slipped up, and just like that, the cat was out of the bag. Or, rather, the fairy.

He was rooming with Kazuki when they stopped in Hokkaido – a rather cold area. Furthermore, the hotel they were staying in seemed to want to conserve electricity at all costs – which meant turning the heat down to “deep chill” levels.

Kazuki decided to deal with this situation by going to the bar with a couple of their staff. “It’s warmer down there. Coming with?”

Manabu shook his head. “Not really up to that,” he said.

“You need to join us sometime,” Kazuki replied. “You know what they say about all work and no play.” And off he went, leaving Manabu alone.

He took a deep breath – he knew how to deal with the cold problem. If he cast the spell now, the room would be nicely warmed for the evening by the time Kazuki came back – with no indication of how the warmth got there.

He stood up in the middle of the room and concentrated . . . and he felt a curious warmth flood his body, like a hot liquid running through him. There was a feeling of things shifting around both inside and outside his body – not painful, but a bit odd.

He opened his eyes and looked at the mirror, and there before him was his true form. His skin was blue, his hair a lovely share of indigo. On his cheeks were a pattern of colors that resembled the wings of butterflies – the clan markings that indicated he was directly descended from the line of King Oberon. His ears came to graceful points.

How strange to see himself that way – it had been a long time since he’d worn this form.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, raising his hands above his head and concentrating again. A small orange ball appeared between them, like a tiny sun. He focused on it, making it glow brightly, and the temperature in the room began to rise . . .

And then, the door opened. “What the hell kind of bar closes at this hour?” Kazuki said, as he walked in – and then froze. What the hell was he seeing? He hadn’t drank that much! He should NOT be seeing a Smurf where his bandmate should be. Did someone slip him some kind of drugs in what he DID manage to drink?

Manabu froze as well. Ironic that trying to get warm would lead to all this freezing. Oh, my God. Oh, my GOD. Discovery was never something he’d ever planned on. When Kauziki drank, he was serious about it – nobody saw him for hours. Who would have thought he’d walk in on him when . . .

“I can explain,” he said, jumping off the bed, the little ball of warming magic disappearing at the same time. Right now, cold was the least of Manabu’s problems.

“Explain?” All Kazuki could do was repeat, and stare. Blue. He was BLUE. No uneven tone, either. He should have told them he was so good at makeup, it would save them a lot of dealing with stylists. Because it WAS makeup, right?

“I’m, well . . .” What would Kai do in this situation? Manabu thought. Tell him straightforward, dance around the issue, just try to escape? He took a deep breath and said, “I’m a fairy. What you would call a fairy, anyway.”

Kazuki blinked, and blinked again. Um, well, okay, he told himself. Sometimes that happened. Your night of drinking was interrupted, and your bandmate told you he was something out of Disney. “You’re a . . .”

“Fairy. I’m from the Seelie Kingdom. I decided to live as a human, because, well .. . I’d been exposed to a lot of your musicians. I loved what they did, and I wanted to be like them. And then, I found out about . . .” He stopped himself. He shouldn’t out Kai as well, should he? “Another fairy who had come to the human world, and was successful. And he became a prince, to boot. In our world, princes aren’t born into it – they have to earn the honor.”

The words were hitting Kazuki’s ears and brain and kind of bouncing off. Fairy? Sure. Princes? Why not? Other fairies in the music business? Hey, the more the merrier! This was a dream. This was a fucking dream, or else he was insane.

“I can prove to you I am what I say I am.” He held his hands above his head. “I was starting to do this spell when you walked in. It’s to warm the room . . .”

Kazuki watched as Manabu began to form the little ball of light, like a tiny sun. It grew bigger, and brighter, and the temperature in the room started to rise, all right . . . okay, so his delusions were vivid enough to include temperature changes. Nobody could say he lacked imagination.

Except the more he watched, the warmer the room got, the more he began to think this wasn’t a delusion. It was just too . . . real. Holy shit.

Eventually, Manabu lowered his arms, and the ball shrank and faded – though the room was still warm. “There,” he said. “That should hold all night.”

“Holy shit. Just . . .” Kazuki sat down in a chair, rubbing his head. “I can’t believe these things exist. I can’t believe one is sitting right across from me.”

“We usually keep quiet about our existence,” Manabu said. “We just help maintain the earth’s balance from behind the scenes.” He got up and walked over to the other man. “Hey . . . don’t tell anyone, okay? This is between us.”

“Oh, sure,” Kazuki said. “I won’t tell anybody.” He was in no rush to get locked up as a loon, anyway. But also . . . there was something sweet and delicious about having a crazy secret like this. Especially when it involved a guy like him . . . and um, okay, where did THAT thought come from?

“Now, watch this . . .” Manabu whispered a few words in an arcane tongue, and Kazuki saw his body quickly enveloped in light. When it faded, the human Manabu he knew was standing there.

“Is this just a disguise?” Kazuki said.

Manabu shook his head. “It’s a real human body. We can shift between human and fairy forms. I can do only minimal magic when I’m like this.”

“Then . . . why do you people choose to live as humans?”

“Because fairy life can get boring after awhile,” Manabu headed for his suitcase, because they never really fully unpacked when they were nearly constantly on the road. “We usually live to be around 600. That’s a long time for magic-assisted peace and harmony.”

“Well, you’re never going to get bored here,” Kazuki said. “That I can promise you.”

They both went to bed shortly afterward, in the warmest room in the hotel – and with a feeling that something of a bond had just been forged between them.

* * *

They were finally starting to make enough money that everyone was able to move into his own place. Manabu had to admit it was something of a relief to not have roommates around anymore. While it was good to have people to talk to about the condition of being a fairy living in the human world, it was better to not have four people sharing a single bathroom.

His new apartment was small, but it was all he needed – living room with attached kitchen area, bedroom, washroom and WC. The one extravagance he purchased was a full, queen-sized Western-style bed (although he did ask himself who all that bed space was going to be used for).

He had all the items brought to his apartment by movers, then shifted them into their final spaces with magic. No use being an urban fairy if you couldn’t use your powers for things like moving, right?

Around this time, the band started work on production of a single they expected to put them fully over the top. Gather Roses was, to put it mildly, a sexually charged song, and the PV was going to match it, starting with their very costumes - lots of red, animal prints, some bare flesh and, in Byou’s case, fur.

There was the usual amount of silliness during production of the video – Jin miming everyone’s parts in the song, Byou pretending to fall asleep on his feet while being interviewed, and Manabu himself repeatedly getting the English title of the song wrong. (Hey, when you had to keep two languages straight in your head – Japanese and the tongue of the fairies – just adding a third complicated things).

But there was also an undeniable erotic undercurrent. During the interview for that making-of, Yuuto and Kazuki both just randomly kissed Manabu - not that band members grabbing and kissing each other in front of the cameras was that unusual, mind you. And then, Kazuki put an arm around Manabu for a nice, long time afterward. (Why did that feel just plain, well, right?)

That was only doubled when the actresses were brought in. There was one woman who was supposed to be performing, well, heavy making out with Byou, and another who was playing a stripper giving the other four lap dances.

Stripping and prostitution was still a bizarre concept to Manabu. The fairy world didn’t have such things – didn’t need them, really, with their free sexuality. He actually found it sad that humans had to exchange money for something that should be given entirely of the person’s free will.

And again, he found himself wondering if his idol ever had to do anything like this on the way up. He didn’t think so – of all the GazettE PVs he’d seen, all of the sexuality had been provided by the band members themselves with occasional aid of a microphone or instrument, no actresses touching them needed.

“Bet you didn’t think you’d be performing in a porno when you decided to live as a human,” Kazuki whispered to him before the take proper began.

And there was another strange human concept – porn. Filming sex for others to view. “Is this a porno?” he whispered back.

“As far as I’m concerned, if there’s no penetration, it isn’t porn,” Kazuki replied. “Of course, there could be if you asked her nicely enough.”

“Kazuki!” Okay, this was NOT the time for him to be feeling embarrassed.

However, when it came time for the actress to perform with him, so to speak, he was feeling strangely relaxed. He allowed the woman to settle into his lap and grind against him – and the fact that his costume had the biggest ratio of bare skin (his stomach and arms were completely uncovered) meant that he felt it, too.

And, yes, it felt good. Fairies were pansexual, he could be just as easily turned on by a man as a woman, and vice versa.

So why were his thoughts wandering . . . next to him? Why was he wondering if Kazuki was watching, and if he was getting turned on, and if he’d be thinking of him when the time came for him to get filmed doing this . . .

And when the woman moved on to Kazuki – he watched. He couldn’t help himself. And he was imagining himself being the one in his lap, moving against him and . . . okay, where were these thoughts coming from? It had to do with the PV itself, right? And what Kazuki just said to him?

When the director called “Cut,” the four of them scurried back to the dressing area – Byou was going to be filming with the other actress now. Manabu suddenly felt that he couldn’t get out of this skin-exposing costume fast enough. He wished he could just use his powers to make them vanish and his street clothes appear on his body.

“We need to get more assignments like that,” Kazuki said, wrapping an arm around Manabu’s shoulders again – which was the last thing he needed. He was more aware than ever of the other man’s nearness, of his warmth and scent . . .

“At least this costume will be cool on stage?” Okay, that was out of nowhere. Sure proof that his mind had ceased to function. Any more PVs like this and it would explode altogether.

“You just had a cute woman dry-humping you, and that’s what you think about?” Kazuki said. “Although I wouldn’t mind seeing you in more costumes like that.” He reached down and began to tickle his bandmate’s bare stomach.

Manabu began to laugh, leaning over a little. “Stop!”

“Hey, you’re sensitive there.” More tickling, and more laughs. “I could use this to my advan-“

And at that moment, an assistant director stomped into the backstage area like Godzilla, beady eyes ablaze behind owl-like spectacles. Even his ill-fitting cardigan seemed to be bristling with indignation.

“We need QUIET,” he said. “We’re filming a SENSITIVE scene out here!” And then he stomped back out, as blustery as he came, his heavy footfalls flying in the face of his own request for silence.

Kazuki leaned over toward Manabu and whispered, “Sensitive? In a PV like this? Okay, I want to take a look.” He began to sneak out toward the set, glancing over his shoulder for Manabu to follow.

Manabu snuck after Kazuki, both of them keeping close to the wall so they would be less noticeable. Not that the crew was exactly looking at what was going on behind them. No, all attention was focused on Byou, and the blindfolded actress who was in front of him.

Not to mention what said actress was doing. She had her face very much buried in his crotch, as if she were giving him a blow job.

Holy mother of Oberon – so that’s what they meant by “sensitive.” The woman seemed to be very much into what she was doing – so much that Manabu began to wonder if it was real, if she really had her mouth wrapped around his . . .

Oh, no, he wasn’t getting turned on by that thought, was he? He quickly turned his head away from the action, toward Kazuki . . . which was probably the worst thing he could have done.

He could see the look on his bandmate’s face, the eyes at half-mast, the gently parted lips, all indicating this was affecting him as well. He was so beautiful, so sexy, so . . .

And then Kazuki’s head turned toward Manabu. Their gazes held for a moment – before they headed back into the dressing area, rapidly.

The other two had changed and gone. Most of the staff who weren’t directly involved in the current shoot were gone as well, with a couple of them sticking around to clean up. There was one side room off the main changing area, intended as a sort of break room, with a couch and a few chairs. The two men ducked into there, Kazuki kicking the door shut behind them.

He put his fingers under Manabu’s chin, tipping his head upward, and their eyes met and held again before their lips came together. The kiss didn’t even pretend to be soft and sweet – it went for “hot” right away, lips pressing against each other and parting, tongues coming together urgently.

And that part was hotter than any other French kiss Manabu had ever experienced, because Kazuki had a tongue piercing, which rubbed against the surfaces of his mouth in a delicious way, the hard and cold contrasting with all that soft and warm. What would that feel like on other parts of him . . .

Kazuki was working on rapidly getting rid of his costume from the PV. The red jacket hit the floor, his fingers working on the buttons of his shirt as his tongue continued to caress Manabu’s. And after he finished that, he started to work on Manabu’s little half-shirt as well.

“How did you get this on?” he said. “I can’t seem to figure out how . . .

“Like this.” Manabu quickly undid the fastenings of the elaborate little scrap, tossing it on the floor. Kazuki gave him a lovely smile, and then leaned over.

The next thing Manabu felt was that bit of metal stroking his nipple. He let out a gasp (struggling not to make it too loud, because there were still people out there) and pressed his knuckles against his mouth.

There was the familiar sensation of hot and wet stroking him, and then the sudden cool hardness of the little ornament, creating a different kind of friction, a different kind of erotic shivers . . . and then the hot wetness again.

He grabbed the back of his bandmate’s head, pulling it against him as he leaned his head back, mouth opening in a gasp. Kazuki’s lips were surrounding the bud now, sucking at him, intensifying the feeling.

“Oh, yes,” Manabu gasped as Kazuki raised his head, moving to the other nipple, stroking it with his tongue, the piercing caressing him in its deliciously cold way. Manabu wasn’t holding back his sounds now – he was breathing loudly, letting out soft, low noises that became longer and louder as Kazuki sucked at him.

Dimly, he became aware of his new lover’s hands unfastening his pants, and he pushed them down, along with his underwear, freeing his erection. This made Kazuki look up with a sly smile.

There was a dim thud as Kazuki’s knees hit the floor, and the next sound was a full-throated moan from Manabu, as that piercing began to stroke the head of his cock. 

Kazuki licked all around the tip at a slow pace, making sure the metal made contact with flesh. He swept it around, looking for sensitive spots, and when he found one – right under the head – he stroked it slowly, so the other man felt tongue, then metal, then tongue again.

Manabu now had his fist pressed against his mouth, so he wouldn’t openly cry out. He gasped a few words of passion – he didn’t even know if they were in Japanese or fairy language. And when Kazuki started to lick slowly down the underside of his cock, he let out a full-throated moan.

He wasn’t going to last long if Kazuki kept that up . . .

As if reading his mind, the other guitarist got to his feet, kissing Manabu’s lips again, then taking his hand and leading him across the room, to the couch. He paused just long enough to shed his own pants and underwear, then lay down on the couch, arms open, inviting Manabu to pleasure him as he’d just been pleasured.

He did so gladly, leaning over to kiss Kazuki’s neck, moving downward, running his tongue over the skin. He had no tongue piercing, just the one under his mouth, but he took full advantage of that. He moved down to a nipple and brushed his own piercing over it, letting Kazuki feel the coolness of a metal-and-jewel piece just like he had.

His lips surrounded the bud, and he sucked hard, letting his fingers trail down over Kazuki’s stomach . . . and he encountered more metal. Of course, his bandmate had a navel piercing, too. 

He raised his head and trailed his tongue along Kazuki’s stomach, stretching one hand up to caress a nipple. When he reached the piercing – and it was beautiful, looking like a glittery central crystal with equally shiny strands hanging from it – he stroked it with his tongue, then licked the skin around it, which was extra-sensitive from the piercing.

“Aaah, yes!” Kazuki cried as Manabu took the ornament in his teeth and gently tugged at it, his fingers still dancing over the nipple, rubbing and caressing. He nipped just above the jewel, and was rewarded with a little shudder.

He leaned over and kissed the tip of Kazuki’s cock, running his tongue up and down the shaft quickly – as much as he wanted to do to his new lover what that woman was seemingly doing to Byou, he knew that they both needed to come as soon as possible - together.

Manabu lay atop Kazuki, so their cocks were pressing together. He heard the other man moan, “Oh, FUCK yes” and felt him wrap his arms around him, hook a leg over his hip. The two men started to move their hips, grinding against each other, cock rubbing against cock . . . ironically, almost the same thing the actress had been doing to them earlier.

This was much nicer. For one thing, it was bare skin on bare skin. Oh, was it ever. Manabu felt like they were melting into each other, the way their chests pressed together, writhing against one another as that little navel piercing pushed into his stomach.

And then Kazuki’s hands were gripping his ass, caressing it, just making Manabu move harder and faster, their cocks brushing and caressing one another, hardness sliding on hardness, slicked by the drops of precome sliding from both.

“Fuck,” Kazuki gasped, squeezing Manabu’s ass harder. “Fuck, that’s so good . . .” His hips were rising all the way off the couch now as the two men ground together, panting and moaning, not caring who the hell heard them.

And then, Kazuki arched upward, letting out a small cry as his body shuddered hard, Manabu looking down at his expression of pure lustful bliss – and nothing they could come up with for that PV could possibly be as erotic as that.

The sight of it sent him over the edge into his own ecstasy, letting out a long moan, then a shuddering gasp as hot sensations more delicious than anything he’d felt with any lover – male or female, human or fairy.

He fell down on top of Kazuki and they clung to each other, both still panting and shivering, until they managed to return to reality – somewhat. Kazuki raised his head, and the two men kissed, softly.

“Why the hell didn’t we do that sooner?” Kazuki said.

Manabu kissed him again. “I don’t know,” he said.

“Well, we have to make up for lost time now, don’t we?” Kazuki wrapped his arms around his new lover, pulling him closer. “You fairy boys are wilder than I thought. You blush all the time when someone talks about sex, but then get you on a bed, or a couch . . . .”

And that just made Manabu blush. “You liked it?”

“I loved it. Nobody plays with my navel piercing, you know that? It’s like you knew what I’d like.” He kissed his lips softly. “We need to get out of here. I’ll put my pants back on and find our clothes.” Meaning, their street clothes, which were in the next room. Plus, they’d need the hangers for their stage costumes. Fortunately, those were far enough away from the main action so there was no come on them.

Manabu gently touched the sticky mess on his stomach – and yes, when he was in this form, his come was white, like normal human come. Just like that, it had happened between them, and it was amazing. It was an experience he wanted to repeat. It was . . .

The beginning of something bigger, maybe?

And suddenly, he found the idea as frightening as it was thrilling. Fairies lived 600 years. Human lives were less than a sixth of that. If he fell in love with a human, was he risking heartbreak like he’d never known before?

* * *

It was a very good thing that they began to be very busy in the wake of the single’s impending release, because it kept Manabu from thinking too much.

When he came here, his ideas and ambitions were extremely simple – be like Kai. Join a band, become famous, and maybe, just maybe, become a prince to boot.

He didn’t expect to be so, well, entangled with humans.

He’d come to feel like he belonged with SCREW more than he ever belonged with any fairy community. When he was playing guitar with them, it was like he was communicating on the highest of high levels, a plane of shared experience that didn’t need words – it was souls talking to souls.

And offstage, they were a match for him in every way – humor, interests, general mindset. They were just as likely to be sitting around a late-night coffee shop laughing and blowing straw wrappers at each other as they were to be drinking in a bar.

It was the kind of place where he had wanted to be all his life. He missed his magic, to be sure, but . . . this was a very good tradeoff.

And then, there was the small matter of Kazuki. Since that rendezvous on the PV set, his emotions were, well . . .

He didn’t confuse sex with love. That wasn’t something fairies did – the two concepts were thought of as especially good together, but equally valid when separate. And yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that what had happened between them had changed things somehow. That when they were together, well . . . 

It felt like there wasn’t anyone else in the world. When they talked, it seemed like not just a conversation, but a sharing – even if they were just joking about the particularly overdramatic faces Byou was pulling, or pointing out how Jin was imitating the facial expressions of a crew member who was being very thorough at tuning a guitar.

And that was the part he most wanted to avoid thinking about. When he came to the human world, the last thing he expected was that he’d fall in love with a human.

* * *

Three days into 2009, Manabu found himself facing two of his dreams coming true. Well, sort of.

PS Company was having a huge showcase for all its bands at Nippon Budokan. It was, officially, to celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary. Unofficially, it was Miyavi’s swan song before leaving them.

It seemed almost ironic that Manabu would be standing on the stage at Budokan, just like he’d dreamed before he left the fairy world. Okay, they were far from being the headliners. 

SCREW and another new PSC addition, SuG, were officially going to be “opening” the show for the company’s main acts. One of which was GazettE. Meaning he’d finally get a chance to be in close proximity to His Royal Highness, Prince Kai of the Seelie Court.

He had been waiting for this moment ever since he came here. No, even before – when he’d first heard about the prince from the old man in the field back home.

Suddenly, he was facing what had the potential to be one of the most important days of his life.

* * *

Nobody had warned them about how chaotic it was going to be backstage. Seven acts plus their staffs and a bunch of video cameras made for a scene resembling Black Friday in an American shopping mall.

“If we breathe too hard, we’ll probably knock someone over,” Kazuki observed as they pushed and shoved their way toward the wings, preparing to go on. SuG, the first band, was finishing up, and they were next.

“If we knock someone over, we’ll probably start a domino effect,” Byou replied, turning sideways in an attempt to squeeze between two people – since they were in the Gather Roses costumes, he had additional bulk in the form of the fur coat. “You’ll have people falling all over the place.”

“We could climb all over them,” Jin suggested as the band started to wedge themselves, one by one, between two crates filled with somebody-or-other’s equipment. “Of course, then we run the risk of messing up someone’s costume.”

“Most of these people have more money than we do,” Kazuki reminded him as they finally made it to an area where they could make it from the wings to the stage without killing themselves – or anyone around them. “They can afford to replace their costumes.”

Manabu was quiet through all this, pulling his abbreviated top down as far as it would go. Wearing this costume just reminded him of what had happened the day the PV was shot – and, despite Kazuki’s words, hadn’t been repeated yet. It just didn’t fit into the schedule.

And then, suddenly, they were being announced, and they were making their way out to the stage of stages. Even though they were only going to be up there for the briefest of times – two songs – it was an instant adrenaline rush. Your feet were walking the same paths trod by innumerable music legends, Japanese and Western. Your instruments were ringing out in the same space that had been occupied by X Japan, Luna Sea, Malice Mizer.

To Manabu, it was like being at a fairy festival and standing among the princes and princesses, their wings gleaming in the sunlight. It was a glimpse of what you could attain someday.

They raced through Death’s Door and then, after a short MC by Byou, began VEGAS, the members running along the side aisles, close enough that they could see the audience – and their reactions to them.

They loved the band. They were on their wavelength. They were screaming and fist-pumping. If they had never heard of SCREW before, they weren’t going to easily forget them now.

All too soon, it was over, and they were racing off the stage to thunderous applause – and the sound of their Gather Roses PV being played on the huge screens at either side of the stage. This crowd was going to see Byou getting a blow job at movie-theater size.

Well, they’d wanted to reinforce their impact, right?

“I want to go back out there,” Kazuki said as soon as they were pushing and shoving their way backstage again. “Let’s go out and push Kagrrra off the stage. Hey, they won’t mind if it’s just for one or two more . . .”

And then, Manabu heard nothing else, because he was suddenly frozen in his tracks. His eyes had detected a male figure, medium-to-low-side-of-tall in height, slender build, dark brown hair. He was talking to a much shorter blond, and was clad in a very traditional hakama outfit.

It was His Royal Highness Prince Kai of the Seelie Court, otherwise known as Kai, leader of the GazettE.

Manabu’s heart was pounding - and since it had also jumped into his throat, it gave him the uncomfortable impression of having swallowed a bass drum. He swallowed hard, trying to put it back in its proper place.

Kai was right in front of him. Right. In. Front. Of. Him. It was the moment he’d waited for all this time. He started to move toward him, slowly . . .

Only to see the other man turn away from his bandmate, headed for the back doors. Out for a smoke, if he did that, or to get a breath of fresh air, or just to escape this crowd for a moment.

Oh, no, Manabu wasn’t letting this chance get away. He took off after him, bumping into a couple of staff members, zig-zagging around three-fifths of Alice Nine, shouting “Sumimasen!” the whole time. He lost sight of Kai for a moment, and felt something close to panic . . 

And finally, the prince was slipping out a back door, and Manabu was right behind him. He took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say . . .

What came out was, “Your Highness!” Only it was in the fairy language.

He saw Kai suddenly stop, as if he were a character on a DVD that had been paused. He stayed there for a long moment, which made Manabu wonder if he’d accidentally pronounced an immobilization spell instead (but then, how could that work, since he was in human form? Spells that strong only worked when one was a fairy).

Finally, Kai turned around, slowly, and looked at him . . . and Manabu suddenly realized he was freaking freezing out here in the January night in his abbreviated costume and no coat. He wrapped his arms around himself, staring hopefully up at Kai.

“You are one of us?” Kai said, also in the fairy language.

And at that, Manabu dropped to one knee, the proper position of respect toward fairy royalty. He just hoped nobody would come outside, because this would look like one kinky scene, between himself in the crop top and Kai in the traditional dress.

“My name is Manabu,” he said – like Kai, he had used his real fairy name as his visual kei stage name. “I am of the line of King Oberon. I came here three years ago, because of you. I heard about you, and how you were a success in the music industry and became a prince to boot and . . .”

There were suddenly hands on his shoulders, strong and warm, the latter quality being especially welcome in the frigid temperatures.

“Call me Kai,” he said. “I don’t like to be called Your Highness – even back home.” He added, with a wide, beautiful smile, “Especially back home. And you can stand up.”

Manabu quickly scrambled to his feet. “Sorry, Your High- I mean, Kai.”

“You’ve got to be freezing in that costume,” Kai said. “We’re going to go back inside. Are you going to the afterparty?”

He’d been planning to anyway, but now, he wouldn’t miss it for the world. “Yes,” he said.

“We’ll talk there,” he said. “I know the place where it’s being held, we should be able to get a quiet corner. It’ll be better than trying to talk in the middle of that –“ he gestured toward the door – “or shivering out here.” He headed for the entrance back into Budokan, and gave Manabu another smile. “You’re with SCREW, aren’t you? The second band tonight?”

This time, Manabu’s heart nearly leapt out of his mouth. It was certainly getting around tonight. “Yes,” he said. “I’m the left guitarist.”

“You were really good,” he said. “I was impressed.”

“Thank you!” The door opened, and the two of them headed back in – and Manabu quickly switched back to Japanese. “I’m so glad you liked it – you have no idea.”

“Kai!” a voice called from across the room. “The stage director needs to talk to you.”

“Coming,” Kai called, and then turned back to Manabu. “Leader duty,” he said. “But I do want to talk to you later.” He gave him a respectful bow. “See you at the afterparty?”

“Yes!” Manabu bowed back. “Go, well, do what you have to do.”

As he watched Kai go, he was practically hopping with excitement. He’d met Kai. He’d finally talked to the prince. And he was going to meet him again later. Suddenly, it felt like the culmination of everything he’d come here for.

* * *

The rest of the event seemed to take an eternity. He watched GazettE’s performance from the wings – along with almost all the other performers – and was mesmerized. It was obvious why they were at the top of their game – all the elements for a band came together in a perfect mix. Musicianship, songwriting, charisma, stage presence and that extra magic element of band chemistry came together to create something incredible.

This was a band that didn’t just deserve to be on the stage of Budokan, they OWNED Budokan.

The crowd stayed in the wings to watch Miyavi’s swan song as a PSC artist, and then they were all streaming out onto the stage for the grand finale – which involved the bandleaders breaking a sake keg filled with glitter and streamers that spilled out onto the audience. Kai even looked graceful and charismatic as he was swinging his traditional mallet with his bright smile.

Finally, performers were jamming into every square inch of private space they could get – dressing rooms, men’s rooms, you name it – to change back into street clothes for the afterparty. The bands were leaving in a caravan of vans, one for each act.

“We get a full van to ourselves!” Jin said happily as they piled in. “No taking the subway!”

“We’ll know we’ve really made it when they send a whole van for just one person,” Byou said as he climbed in after him.

“Van?” Kazuki said. “I want to travel in something cooler than that. I want them to send a Ferrari for me!”

“They don’t even send a Ferrari for Miyavi,” Manabu reminded him as he entered the vehicle himself.

“Well, of course they don’t,” Kazuki said, settling into his seat. “He’s leaving!”

Manabu just looked out the window as they drove the fairly short distance to the restaurant. How was he going to explain his absence at the party to the others? Not that there was a rule that a band had to stick together, especially during a “mix and mingle” event. But they’d probably wonder (make that, Kazuki might wonder, at least he hoped he would) why he was disappearing into a quiet corner with a member of another band.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry about that aspect too much. Almost as soon as they got there, they were besieged by people who’d seen the act (or, more likely, the erotic PV) and wanted to get to know “the new guys” better. They were pulled away from their group one by one like dangos from a skewer.

When Kai entered the room, then, it was no problem for Manabu to go straight over to him. “I’m here, Your – Kai.”

“Over here,” Kai said, taking his arm and leading him to a corner table, apart from the main crowd. Manabu took one quick glance around, trying to see if they were attracting attention – he might not be a magnet for gossip, but Kai sure as hell was. Then again, he wondered if it would be only a good thing for SCREW if everyone thought he was dating Kai.

When they were settled in with drinks, Kai said, “So tell me something about how you came here. You were influenced by me, you said? I mean, if it’s true – I’m flattered. I’m flattered as hell.” He had one of those smiles on his face that made him look like the sun itself, like all the light in the world was radiating from him.

“It’s true,” Manabu said. “I was just sort of hanging around back home – I liked to play and study music, and I knew I was good at it, but, well, I didn’t quite know what to do with it. My mother kept reminding me I could qualify to be a prince if I proved myself, but . . .”

“You didn’t think the traditional route was for you,” Kai said.

Manabu shook his head. “I wanted to be a prince, but I wanted to be a musician more. So I was just sort of going around in circles. And then, I met this old man in a field . . .”

It all came pouring out of him as if a faucet had been opened. His meeting with the old man, his time spent living with a group of other fairies and playing in bands that didn’t make it, his introduction to SCREW, their growing success, his relationship with the other band members . . .

And oh, how his voice faltered and stumbled whenever he talked about Kazuki. He’d look away from Kai, blush, fidget with his glass, fidget with the tablecloth, heck, he’d fidget with the table itself if he could.

When he got up to the making of their most recent PV, he blushed and rubbed the back of his head, looking down at the table. “We . . . well, there was an actress there who was playing a stripper, and she was giving us all lap dances, and thing got kind of, um . . .”

Kai reached over and put his hand over the one that wasn’t on the back of Manabu’s head – which was busy playing with a napkin. “Manabu,” he said, “you don’t have to say anything else. I understand.”

“You do?” He looked at the other man.

“Yes. That was your first time with him, wasn’t it?”

He really did understand. Manabu slowly removed his hand from his head. “It shouldn’t be a big deal,” he said. “That kind of thing never was at home. But here . . .”

“You’re with humans,” Kai said. “You have to follow their rules, and you find yourself thinking like them a lot more than you’d imagine.”

“Was it like that for you, too?” Manabu eased the other hand away from Kai’s. “What was it like, when you first came here?”

Kai gazed away for a moment, and said, “I was sent here on a mission. King Oberon decided I needed to learn about leadership. I had been in the human world before, as a visitor – but I didn’t know how well I’d fit in. I joined my first band, and that didn’t work out. I thought that I wasn’t going to make it, wasn’t going to be able to do what was expected of me. And then . . .”

“You met the GazettE?” Manabu said.

Kai nodded. “They were rehearsing in this dumpy place in the middle of nowhere. They didn’t really know where they were going, what they were doing. But as soon as I got there? I knew that’s why I was there, what I came for. It was like I was meant to perform with them my whole life.”

Manabu nodded. “It’s been the same thing for me. The moment I met my bandmates, I knew I belonged there. That I had a reason to stay here in the human world. That . . .” He stopped, suddenly.

“That you felt like more of a human than a fairy?”

How did he hit the nail on the head like that? No wonder he was a prince. “Yes,” he said. “Especially when we were all on stage together. It felt . . . more magic than magic, you know? But . . . I shouldn’t feel like that, should I?”

“Why not?” Kai picked up his glass and drank from it.

“Because . . . it’s not what I’m supposed to be. I’m of the line of King Oberon. I’m supposed to want to be a prince. That’s why I came here. Because . . . because you did it, and I wanted to be like you.”

“Supposed to want to be a prince?” Kai said. “But . . . do you really want to be?”

Did he? Being a prince meant . . . leadership, like Kai said. Manabu had never exactly been an aggressive leader type. He was content to just play his music and let other people make the decisions.

“I want to be . . . what I am now,” he said. “I mean, I know I can’t do this forever. I’m going to have to go back home eventually. But while I’m here, I want to be a musician.”

“You said you came here because you wanted to be like me?” Kai said. “Because I was a prince, or because I was with the GazettE? Did you want to be a prince because other people said you should be one?”

He just nodded. The “prince” part was always his mother talking, wasn’t it?

“Something I learned very quickly when I came here,” Kai said, “is that you have to follow your heart. Do whatever feels right, what feels like _you_. In the end, what you are isn’t as important as who you are.” He gave the other man one of those brilliant smiles. “So I guess what I’m saying is if you want to be like me? The best thing you can do is be yourself.”

“But . . . what if my heart is trying to take me somewhere where, well, it really shouldn’t go?” And, whoops, he shouldn’t have said that.

“What do you mean?” Kai said. “There’s no such thing as your heart taking you to a bad . . .” And then, a light came on behind Kai’s eyes, as the pieces came together in his head. “Manabu, are you in love with Kazuki?”

“I . . . I . . .” Oh, hell. Well, he hadn’t exactly hidden it before, had he, with all that fumbling and mumbling when he talked about him? He dropped his head. “I’m scared,” he said, softly.

“Of what?” Kai leaned over toward him, putting his hand on Manabu’s again.

“He’s a human,” he said. “He’s . . . he’s only going to live about 70, 80 years. He’s going to start aging in about 20 years, and I, well . . .”

Fairies in human bodies didn’t age like humans. They could alter their appearance so they seemed to be aging at the same rate as the people around them, if they chose to live in the human world for a longer period of time – but even that illusion could only be maintained, for a younger fairy, until the person they were supposed to be portraying was in middle age.

“I’d have to leave him,” he said, looking away. “And I’d spend the rest of my life without him . . . and that’s a long, long time.”

Kai’s hand tightened on the other fairy’s. “Manabu, you’re still young, right? How old are you – 96, 97?”

“I’m 98,” he said. Given the lifespan of a fairy, that was young indeed.

“I’m going to tell you something,” Kai said. “I fell in love with a human, too, when I was the same age you are now. And I had a lot of the same doubts, too. But you know what I decided? Four hundred years may be a long time to live with the pain of having loved and lost, that’s true . . . but it would be an even longer time to live with regret. You don’t want to worry about what could have been.”

“What happened with the person?” Manabu said. “Are you still together?”

Kai nodded. “It’s Aoi, my bandmate. We couldn’t be happier. We have the best relationship you could imagine. We both take other lovers – he’s very happy with the way our people deal with love and sex – but we always come back to each other. And I cherish every moment that we’re together. So when the time comes where we’ll have to part, I’ll know that part of him will always be with me.”

Manabu thought that over. Yes, he’d have to go back to the fairy world someday. He’d probably become romantically involved with others then to boot. But as long as he held onto the memories of being with Kazuki, they’d never really be parted.

“Besides,” Kai said, “I’m going to tell you something King Oberon said to me about humans. Human souls are reborn, over and over. If the love between you and this person is strong enough? If you decide to return to the human world about 50 or 60 years after you have to leave, you and your lover’s next incarnation will find each other again. He might not look like he does now, he won’t have the same name , he might even be a she – but you’ll know it’s him.”

Manabu looked Kai in the eyes. “Is this true? Really true? Or just something people made up?”

“King Oberon wouldn’t be repeating rumors, would he?” Kai said. “Manabu . . . if you love Kazuki, tell him. And then make the most of every moment you have together. You won’t regret it. Trust me.”

Manabu swallowed hard. He’d expected that meeting Kai would have an impact – this was the moment he’d waited for since he’d gotten here – but he didn’t expect the impact to be this hard, or this deep.

“Thank you,” he said, quietly. “What you just said . . . it means a lot. You can’t imagine how much.”

“I’ve been there,” Kai said. “I think I know.” He leaned back with a smile. “From what you’ve told me, your Kazuki sounds an awful lot like my Aoi. Maybe we should get the two of them together. I think they’d get along.”

And then, there was the sound of rambunctious laughter behind them – and a drunken Aoi stumbled toward the table, arm around an equally drunk Kazuki. “Hey, babe,” he said, leaning over to give Kai a kiss. “I just met this guy – he’s the greatest guy ever.”

“Hi!” Kazuki said – and then noticed Manabu at the table. “Oh, good, you’re here, too!” He plunked next to his bandmate. “Aoi and I were just talking.”

“Just talking, mind you,” Aoi said, sitting next to Kai and wrapping an arm around him. “Wouldn’t want to do anything else in public!”

“You two just had one drink each?” said Kazuki, leaning over and picking up Manabu’s one beer bottle. “You’ve got some catching up to do!”

“We’re fine, thanks,” Manabu said.

“Oh, you THINK you are,” said Kazuki. “Come on, another round!”

Kai leaned over and whispered to Manabu – in fairy language, so the other two couldn’t understand - “You know the hangover spell, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Manabu whispered back.

“You’re going to need it tomorrow morning.”

Manabu laughed, suddenly feeling light all over. Yes, he really was lighter all over – his talk with Kai had removed more burdens than he thought.

He didn’t need wings to feel like he could fly.

* * *

Manabu woke up on the couch of his own apartment the next morning. He yawned, looking around him. Everything was pretty much like it was when he and Kazuki had stumbled in sometime in the wee smalls. Coats tossed about, an ashtray spilled. He quickly shifted into fairy form and whispered a spell to make the ashes dissipate.

Things had been pretty standard for a J-rock party after Aoi and Kazuki had come to the table – the two of them had drank a lot, he and Kai drank a little, and they stayed until the bar owner announced he had to close the place down. The only thing that was unusual came just before they left, when he and Kai went to the men’s room together.

Kai looked behind them, threw the lock of the door and said, “Take your real form – just for a second.” Manabu looked confused, but did what his prince asked. Kai did the same – though Manabu was a bit disappointed that he couldn’t see the wings, they were folded at Kai’s side.

Kai put both hands on Manabu’s shoulders and whispered a quick spell. Manabu felt a shiver pass through his body, then go as quickly as it came.

“Okay, change back,” Kai said. “I just gave you the ability to use one particular spell even when you’re in human form.”

“I can do that?” Manabu said, looking surprised as he shifted back into a human.

“When you’ve had a little royal magic transferred to you, you can,” Kai said. “Let me tell you what I did . .”

Manabu was thinking about what Kai told him as he walked into the bedroom, Kazuki was lying across his bed, literally passed out. Manabu knelt next to him, putting his fingertips on the other man’s temples.

He murmured the hangover spell that he and Kai had discussed the night before. Kazuki stirred and mumbled a little, but didn’t awaken. The spell would remove all the ill effects of the alcohol he’d consumed the night before; he’d awake feeling like nothing had happened.

Good thing, because Manabu needed him to be sober. It was time for the talk he’d been putting off.

He shifted back into human form and lay down next to Kazuki, prepared to wait for the other man to wake up. As it turned out, he didn’t have to wait very long before the other guitarist sat up, yawning and stretching.

“Wow,” he said. “I guess I didn’t drink as much as I thought I did.” He looked over at Manabu. “Did anything happen last night?”

Manabu shook his head. “We’re both dressed, remember?”

“Oh. Yeah,” Kazuki said, “we’re going to have to make up for that.”

“Kazuki . . .” Manabu took his hand in his. “I need to talk to you first.”

“About what?” Kazuki said. “If it’s about you being a fairy, don’t worry. I’m okay with that. I think it’s pretty hot, actually.”

“No,” he said. “I mean – I’m glad you’re okay with that, but . . .” He took a deep breath. Okay, here it comes. He suddenly realized that this was the real moment that all his time in the human world was leading up to. Not being on the Budokan stage, not meeting Kai . . . this.

“Since I’ve been in this band,” he said, “I’ve, well . . . you’re always the person I’ve come to, over and over. For friendship, companionship, and, well . . .” Another deep breath. “I know we both enjoyed that, and we want to do it again, but I don’t want our relationship to be just that. You . . . you mean too much to me to have a relationship that’s just sex.”

He raised his head and looked the other man in the eyes. “Kazuki, I . . . I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment I met you. And I know this is weird circumstances, with you being human and me being a fairy, but . . . I want to make it work, for as long as we can be together. I want us to be part of each other’s lives. I . . .”

He was interrupted by a pair of arms suddenly wrapping around him and pulling him close, and his face was suddenly muffled in a chest. He couldn’t have said anything if he wanted to.

“Why didn’t you just ask me to be your boyfriend, dummy?” Kazuki said. “No need for a speech.”

“Mmmph mmmph mmmph.” Manabu wriggled around, but Kazuki was holding him tight.

“Of course I want to go out with you,” he said. “Do you know how long I’ve waited to hear you say you love me?”

“Then you love me back?” Manabu finally managed to free his head enough to raise it and talk back.

“Of course I do,” Kazuki said. “I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t know if there were rules against that kind of thing. You know, fairies and humans together.”

“There aren’t,” Manabu said. “Well, I mean, just that you have to keep an open mind. The way fairies conduct relationships, we usually take other lovers when we want or need to, with our partner’s permission.”

“Does that mean we can double-team a hot guy together?” Kazuki said. “Or have a foursome with another couple?”

“Well . . . yes,” Manabu said.

“Then I’m all for it,” Kazuki said. “Only . . . not yet.”

“No?” Manabu suddenly looked shocked. Was he postponing the official start of their relationship?

“I meant no other guys yet.” Kazuki tipped Manabu’s head back with his fingers, gently. “For now, I want it to be just you and me.”

And then, their lips were coming together in a kiss, and Manabu’s heart was taking off and flying again.

He wrapped his arms around Kazuki, pulling him close, wanting to melt into him. Cherish every moment they were together, Kai said? He was going to do that – starting with these moments, here and now. He dove into the kiss aggressively, pushing his tongue toward Kazuki’s, gently stroking it. He felt the other man writhe against him and make a sound of appreciation in his throat.

Kazuki reached for the buttons of the other man’s shirt and started to unfasten them, one by one, reaching inside to caress the flesh beneath. “Why did we fall asleep with so many clothes on?” he murmured between kisses – before running his tongue along Manabu’s neck, making the fairy shiver with pleasure.

“We didn’t know we were going to do this?” Manabu said, breathlessly, reaching for the hem of Kazuki’s T-shirt and pulling it upwards.

“Well, we’re not going to be making that mistake again, are we?” Kazuki yanked the shirt off and flung it in the corner. “When we’re alone like this, we’re going to have to be naked as much as possible.”

“I like that idea,” Manabu said, sliding his fingers down to that navel piercing. That was as much of an erogenous zone as his lover’s nipples or thighs, as far as he was concerned. He circled the ornament, brushing his fingers over the strands before tugging on them very lightly.

“Oh, fuck, you know what I like,” Kazuki moaned. “Keep going.” He stretched out on the bed, encouraging his lover to rid him of his pants.

Manabu got the hint very quickly. He unzipped the jeans with one swift motion and yanked them down his lover’s legs, along with his underwear. When he dropped them on the floor, he slid off the end of the bed long enough to strip off his own clothing.

He didn’t take the most direct route to Kazuki’s cock, though. He began to kiss his way slowly up his lover’s legs, lips touching the flesh lightly before pulling away, letting his teeth nip here and there – and Kazuki turned his head, letting out a deep, delicious sound of pleasure.

“God, I can’t believe you,” he moaned. “You’re so shy and blushy in public, and then someone gets you in bed and you become an animal.” He raised his head. “Are all fairy boys like you?”

He smiled, looking up long enough for his eyes to meet Kazuki’s. “Does it matter?” he said.

“Fuck, no,” Kazuki said, hands reaching down for the other man’s head. “All that matters is . . .” And that was swallowed up in another moan as Manabu reached Kazuki’s thighs and started to run his tongue along the right one, very slowly.

Kazuki parted his legs, and Manabu shifted to the sensitive, inner part of the thigh, licking along it, then stopping to kiss, sucking hard on the skin, as if to cause a hickey. Nobody would see these marks but the two of them. He followed that by nipping, then kissing, then licking back and forth over the area.

Finally, he swept his tongue up, and up, until he was licking Kazuki’s balls, bringing another moan. He traced their shape gently, before moving up to the shaft, following the path of a vein to the tip.

“Oh, oh, YES,” Kazuki gasped as Manabu began to slowly lick over the head, covering every inch of it with a long sweep of his tongue. He felt Kazuki grab his head and hold it in place for a moment – and then release.

“You have to stop,” Kazuki panted. “If you don’t I’ll come, and . . .”

Reluctantly, Manabu lifted his head and moved back up to Kazuki’s lips, kissing them – and finding himself rolled over on his back, Kazuki’s fingers reaching for his nipples, pinching them both gently, thumbs rubbing over them.

“I want you to ride me,” Kazuki murmured, his lips trailing down Manabu’s jawline to his neck, the piercings scraping against his skin deliciously. “I want to feel my cock in you and watch you at the same time.”

And then it was Manabu’s turn to moan as Kazuki encircled one of those nipples with his lips, brushing the piercing against the hardened bud. Oh, that thing was so damn sexy, the way its cool smoothness ran over his skin, followed by the wet heat of the rest of his tongue.

Kazuki raised his head. “You like this, don’t you?” He paused to lick the peak slowly, making sure Manabu felt flesh, then metal, then flesh again. “They sell vibrating tongue rings at sex shops. I’ll have to get one.”

He saw Kazuki make a move toward the nighttable drawer, as if to look for lube – and he put out a hand, stopping him. “No need,” he said.

Kazuki looked puzzled. “What do you mean? Baby, if you’re going to ride me, we need lube.”

Manabu started to sit up, and Kazuki moved away so he could do so. He reached for the nighttable, but it was to gently remove a leaf from the plant that was growing there (fairies always had several examples of nature within their homes).

“I have one bit of magic that I can do in this form,” he said, “that will take care of that.” He turned around and reached back with the hand holding the leaf, pressing it against his entrance.

It was time to put the spell he’d gotten from Kai into practice. He took a deep breath, concentrated, and began to chant in an archaic fairy tongue. Instantly, he felt a warmth start to fill him, a pleasant buzzing, a soft, wet feeling. 

He removed his fingers and turned back around. “There,” he said. “I just opened and lubed myself. The plant matter converts into a gel. And I can do that to you, too, if I top.” Or to anyone else they were to bring into their bed later on, if it was someone he’d shared his secret with - but he wasn’t going to say that yet.

“Just like that?” Kazuki said, eyes nearly falling out of his head from that little display.

“Just like that.” Manabu leaned over to kiss his lover before throwing a leg over his body, straddling him.

“Why the hell haven’t I dated a fairy before?” Kazuki murmured as Manabu began to lower himself, slowly, the penetration eased considerably by the magic. Good thing, because Kazuki was bigger than average.

He moved down on him slowly – even with the magic, he had to be careful not to hurt himself, to let his body adjust to being filled. He paused, breathing hard, and looked down at his lover.

No, his boyfriend now, wasn’t it? They were official. He reached down and took Kazuki’s hands in his, and they both squeezed tightly.

“Never mind, I know why I never dated one of you before,” Kazuki said. “I was waiting all this time for you.”

The words went straight to Manabu’s heart. They were so sweet, so loving – especially coming from a guy who wasn’t exactly known for drippy sentiment. Now he knew he’d made the right decision in moving forward with this relationship.

If they’d only be together for a tiny portion of his long fairy life, then he’d savor every moment of that portion like drops of the finest wine.

He started to move, slowly, feeling his lover’s erection slide through him in the most delicious way. The position allowed him to move hips this way and that, until he got the most sensation, the most stimulation where he needed it.

But most importantly, it allowed him to look down and see his lover’s face with a blissful expression, eyes half-closed, lips half-pursed and moaning. He was absolutely beautiful.

Manabu started to move faster, harder, taking Kazuki’s hands and putting them on his chest. His lover took the cue, moving his hands to the fairy’s nipples, rubbing his fingers over them, just sending another rush of heat through Manabu’s body.

He was thrusting down on Kazuki steadily now, every downward stroke hitting little bundles of nerves inside him, tiny showers of sparks running through his consciousness. His head fell back, his eyes closed as he lost himself totally in bliss, his whole world reduced to that one spot that was being invaded again and again in the most delicious way.

The other man’s moans were like the sweetest of music to his ears, and he moaned in return, reaching down to caress Kazuki’s nipples like Kazuki had done to him . . . and that that moment, the men’s eyes met, and held, and it was like a window into each other’s souls.

Kazuki reached out and wrapped his fingers around Manabu’s erection, stroking him quickly, making Manabu thrust harder, faster, his breathing ragged and tinged with moans, his consciousness rapidly dissolving into pure lust.

And then, there was a hard downstroke that hit his prostate directly. He threw his head back again, crying Kazuki’s name out as his body trembled, come pouring from him onto his lover’s hand. He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the other guitarist’s chest as wave after wave of sensation engulfed him.

When he got enough bearings to be able to move again, he thrust down hard and fast, wanting to bring Kazuki over the edge as well, and he was rewarded with a hoarse cry, Kazuki arching upward sharply as he was engulfed in pleasure.

Manabu tumbled atop Kazuki, and they wrapped their arms around one another, as if not wanting to let go of this moment. They lay together in a heap, panting, and finally, their lips came together in a last, gentle kiss.

“That was unbelievable,” Kazuki said.

Manabu just purred in contentment. Unbelievable wasn’t the word. It wasn’t like any other sex he’d ever had – precisely because it was infused with love.

“That . . . that finger thing you did,” Kazuki said. “Can you really do that all the time? When you’re in this form, I mean?”

“Yes,” Manabu said.

“Wow,” Kazuki said. “As if I needed another reason to love a fairy boy. I mean, can you all do that?”

“No,” Manabu said. “I had, well, help. And a special gift.”

“What kind?” Kazuki said. “The kind you’re born with?”

Manabu smiled to himself. This was a secret he was going to keep to himself. “The kind you get from a special friend,” he said.

He’d just had the most incredible 24 hours of his life. He’d earned Kai’s friendship and Kazuki’s love. Peace and Smile Carnival itself was just a bonus.

He didn’t need to be a prince. He had his own version of wings.

* * *

Kazuki and Manabu moved in together a few weeks later. Manabu warned his lover that there were challenges involved in being with a fairy. “I’m going to need time alone by myself sometimes. And I mean, going out to a park for a few hours to renew myself – we need to be in touch with nature. Plus, I may need to go in the bedroom by myself when . . .”

Kazuki waved his hand. “It’s all good. Take all the space you need, baby. You think _I’m_ the kind to put chains on you?” Pause. “Unless, of course, you’re into that, in which case . . .”

He was true to his word. He let Manabu have all the time and space he needed, and their relationship only grew and deepened with time, carrying them past challenges (including a band lineup change).

It time, Manabu came to accept that his band wasn’t about to march right into Budokan (he was holding onto the dream of being major at that point). But that was okay. As long as he could be with this group of guys, it didn’t matter if they were on a huge stage or a tiny one. They had each other, and their devoted group of fans, and that was enough.

He had his friendship with Kai, too, and they’d get together sometimes to talk about the challenges of being a fairy living and loving in the human world, as well as the typical music business stuff. 

One day, the subject of how Manabu came to the human world came up again. “I do sometimes wonder about that old man,” Manabu said. “I never saw him before, and, well, it seems kind of weird for an old guy to be popping up in a field for no reason. It’s almost like he was meant to be there.”

Kai looked thoughtful for a moment. “Was there anything that looked familiar about him?” he said.

“Well, he was from my branch of the family,” Manabu said, “because he had our clan markings. Which only makes it twice as strange that I’d never seen him before.”

“And he specifically told you about me?” Kai said. “Including the name of my band?”

Manabu nodded. “It wasn’t the exact name, but he came close.”

“I never told anyone in the fairy world the name of my band,” Kai said. “Nobody but King Oberon – and you’d know if it was him.”

“Then . . . how did . . . “

A smile started to spread over Kai’s face. “Manabu, you know there’s elders who master different types of very complex magic, don’t you? Like, the kind that usually only royalty can do?”

“Yes,” Manabu said, looking confused. “But what does that have to do with this guy?”

“One of those types of magic is time travel,” Kai said. “They can’t travel back as far or as long as royalty can, of course – but they could go back a few hundred years for a brief time.” Pause. “Just long enough to make sure their younger self takes the right path in life.”

It took a moment for it to sink in – but when it did, it hit Manabu’s mind like a bomb. “Me?” he said. “The old man was . . . ME? But he didn’t talk like me. He . . .”

“Was probably disguising his way of talking so you wouldn’t know who he was,” Kai said. “If you knew, it would create a paradox, wouldn’t it? But he wanted to make sure you went to Tokyo, and met SCREW, and Kazuki, and me. So if there were any doubts that you’re doing the right thing . . .”

Manabu smiled. “None,” he said. “None at all.” That was true before – and it went double now.

He had only himself to thank for the happiness he’d found in life.


End file.
